We're cleaning up the remnants of Christmas with an odd sense of relief ... and as we begin to pin up our crisp new wall calendars, we're shifting gears yet once again, re-focusing on the seemingly endless expectations and demands and challenges that await.
In the process of this annual re-calibration, you might be experiencing a not-so-subtle push to set some big goals, or drum up a list of life-altering resolutions, or claim a very special One Word as your very own guiding star.
Or not.
Instead, you might be consumed with an undercurrent of anxiety or overcome with paralyzing loss. Deepest disappointments. Unending frustrations. Uncertainty about the future. Or a pile of regrets all tied together in a stranglehold of ever-present fear.
The last thing you're thinking of is figuring out the year ahead.
I have good news for you. There's no Goals Police or Resolutions Monitor waiting to slap your hand if you don't produce.
It really is ok if you're not interested. Please don't go there if your only prompt is some kind of self-imposed ought or should ... or an odd fear of missing out if you don't. Indulging in these sometimes helpful activities will only guarantee that there'll be little if any substantial follow through {accompanied by a weird sense of false guilt} if you're not prompted by genuine enthusiasm or an inner joy.
Can I encourage you to give yourself some grace and space instead?
I spotted this 2 Chronicles verse during devotions a few months ago and quickly sent it off on wings and a prayer to a sweet someone who needed a big dose of reassurance.
These sacred words in black and white hit home for her. And if that wasn't good enough, the little obscure verse revisited her again that evening at Bible Study as the group worked through their study guide. It was a special grace gift from God, a solid reassurance that even though there were few clues to her next step, this one thing could be true:
She could stay completely focused on Jesus and trust Him for every desperately needed grace she yearned for.
*
My friends, He's got 2019 all figured out. And that's the loveliest grace of all ...
please don't
miss a post in 2019 ...
*
*
sharing with
